Too Much Alike
by Ooo-shiny
Summary: One day, after a long night of patrol, Damian confessed to Dick that he thought that Bruce didn't love him. All Dick could do was hold him through the tears because, not that he would ever let Damian know, Bruce had said the same thing earlier that week.


_**Too Much Alike  
**_

_**Summary: One day, after a long night of patrol, Damian confessed to Dick that he thought that Bruce didn't love him. All Dick could do was hold him through the tears because, not that he would ever let Damian know, Bruce had said the same thing earlier that week.**_

_**Authors note: This was written for my English class, on the last day of school. I really liked the way it turned out. It was inspired by a headcanon from batfamilyheadcanons . tumblr . com**_

* * *

Dick had a habit of entering at some of the worst moments. It was a habit that he noted-and it wasn't purposeful, but whenever he stopped by the Manor, he always seemed to walk in on a fight. Dick could hear the sounds of the yelling as soon as he started the decent into the Batcave, and was about to walk back upstairs when Damian stormed past him, eyes flashing. He was muttering under his breath, several colorful words littering his mutterings. Dick wasn't sure whether he should let the teen calm down, or if he should follow him.

He decided that Bruce was the safest option.

Bruce was standing near the Batmobile, running his hands through his black hair. Dick noted that the older man needed a haircut-he imagined that Alfred was urging him to visit a barber too. The man seemed frustrated, and for once, didn't know what to do.

Dick came and stood by him, waiting for him to calm down. Bruce didn't initiate conversation-not that Dick expected him to. Bruce rarely initiated conversation. Dick watched him stalk over to the Batcomputer, his eyes flashing with the same anger and irritation that Dick had seen in Damian's only moments before. Dick stood there awkwardly, trying to think of something to say. To his surprise, Bruce spoke first, without taking his eyes off the monitor. "I don't think he loves me."

The statement was so calm. Dick recognized that calm. It was the calm that he called "scary-calm". He was so calm, that you couldn't see what he was thinking. It was a calm where he was so angry that anything could happen. Dick stammered a bit, looking for a response. "Of course he loves you," He finally managed.

"No," Corrected Bruce, his eyes still lingering on the Batcomputer's monitor. "He _loves _you. He _tolerates _me."

Dick stood there, once again at a loss for words. There was a time that Damian was-no Damian still was-obsessed with being accepted-loved-by his father. Dick knew it, and was desperate to express it to Bruce, but he couldn't find the words. "He just wants to please you," Dick finally found the words he was looking for. They didn't express half of what he wanted to tell Bruce, but it was all he could manage. Once again, he made a mental note to stay out of the fights that Damian and Bruce had.

Bruce didn't respond to that, and Dick turned around to walk up the stairs. He stopped at the base though, lingering for a few seconds. "You two fight so much because you're too much alike," He told Bruce. "Which means, he loves you, just like you love him."

* * *

"Whatever," Damian's voice reached Dick's ears. He was yelling, and Dick could hear the boy's stalking footsteps make their way over to him, while a the door at the top of the stairs slammed.

"What's up?" Asked Dick, slipping off of his motorcycle, realizing that he was going against the mental note he had made earlier on in the week.

Damian was changed, but he had obviously been on patrol, judging by the late hour that he was up at, not to mention the stitched up cut on one cheekbone. The teen was wearing a simple gray t-shirt, and a pair of jeans. His phone was tucked in his pocket, but headphones were plugged in, and one was pushed into his ear, while the other hung limply. Damian paused in front of Dick. "What are you doing here Grayson?" The question wasn't really a question-it was a demand.

"Just checking in on Bruce," Dick shrugged. "What's going on?" The man was surprised to see tears lingering in the teenagers icy blue eyes. Damian didn't cry unless something was really wrong-which meant that something was really bothering him.

"I just want him to be proud of me," He whispered, and then shook his head, wiping a stray tear of his cheek. "He doesn't love me," The last part of the statement was firm, and Dick saw the teenager turn back into someone hiding behind walls.

Dick felt tears slip out of his own eyes, and hugged the thirteen year old to his chest.

Damian and Bruce really were too much alike.


End file.
